


Invoking Friendship

by PotatoJesus



Category: Defense of the Ancients | Dota, Dota 2
Genre: Cameos by various characters, Fluff, M/M, Spiderlings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 15:58:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2553308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoJesus/pseuds/PotatoJesus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A war has broken out between two factions, and Anti-Mage has decided to join the fight. He's newer to the Radiant's band of warriors, and is trying to find his place among them when he meets Invoker, the epitome of all he hates. Unfortunately for him, Invoker finds himself quite attached. Rated M for some inappropriate language and violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> I would just like to say that I do not often play Dota, nor when I play have I ever done so as Anti-Mage, so I really do apologize for any in-game inaccuracies. If I have made any mistakes, I would love to hear about them.
> 
> I just really enjoy the Anti-Mage/Invoker pairing, I think it's absolutely adorable.  
> To be honest, I'm really just doing this for fun, so it's one of my sillier, "just for the heck of it" stories.
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy! :)

**Anti**

"Anti-Mage," a voice resounded behind me. I shot a look over my shoulder, having to lean slightly around the base of the glowing green tower to see who was speaking. Hmpf, of course it was the damn Earthshaker.

"What, Raigor?" I asked gruffly, not wanting to be bothered. Right now I just wanted to be alone, pondering my plan for the morrow.

"Come, drink with us, my friend. We greet a new member of our ranks tonight."

"I think celebrations will be merrier without me." I turned away from him, looking out over the river.

"There are few celebrations, simply getting to know each other."

"I'll pass. I assume it's a mage of some cast, I can scent the stench of magic upon you."

"You have no idea, Anti-Mage…" He grumbled, "I thought you just wouldn't want to be caught unawares tomorrow. This man is… rather…pompous."

"If he does anything wrong, I shall simply purge this world of another disgusting creature and all will be the better for it. No drinking or socializing needed."

"But-"

"I refuse, Raigor. Leave me be."

"...Do not say I did not warn you. He might simply visit your lane upon a whim." At this I snarled back.

"What would possess him to do this?"

"He is… overly confident of himself. He has expressed wishes to control this lane, and I thought your presence tonight might deter him."

"Do not worry, I'll deter him on the morrow. Go, drink, rest. The Brewmaster awaits you." As the footsteps died away I growled into the darkness, "As the Lightning Revenant awaits me…" As if to prove this, blue shocks appeared across the horizon line.

I would be ready.

* * *

Before dawn, I woke to the slobber of a bouncing little- "Shagbark!" I shoved the happy creature off me, it's companion owls chirping happily. In it's maw it carried my boots. "Thanks, but I didn't purchase these yet… isn't it early for you to be out? Why are you here?"

The air stank of magic and I looked around suspiciously, was that mage the cause of this? Waking us all so early? Setting this precedent of early bird movements would only instigate the same in the enemy. I saw no one and removed my shoes, replacing them with the handmade ones that our shopkeeper had imbued with magic, eugh, to let us move faster.

I got up, stretching out all the kinks in my bones, with Shagbark running around happily dripping saliva in his wake. He soon left and ran back down the lane. Strange creature.

It was as I began to move carefully towards the river, peaking out over it, when suddenly I was shoved down the steps into the water. Who the fuck does that?!

I stood, shook the droplets from my head, and came face to face with a bored set of white eyes. "Greetings, purple man. I am here to claim this lane."

"Oh, fuck you." So this was the mage…

I rushed towards him, wishing I had my blades, ready to throttle him, when he grabbed me, pulling me to his chest for a second. I felt my feet leave the ground before we crashed into some foliage. "Going to watch out for the enemy anytime soon?" A voice whispered into my ear. I shivered and extricated myself from his grip, rising from the bushes he'd thrown us into. I...I hated his scent, the magic so thick about him. I hated it. And yet for one second… I felt so safe there. I looked to where we'd been, the evidence of Razor's lash on the ground.

Dammit… "I'm getting my blades," I bolted to the tower behind which my bags lay. "This bastard shall be dead before dusk..."

I crouched behind the tower, readying my blades, when long wispy blonde hair fell beside my face and I felt the mage's presence right behind me, "Leave the lane to me, Purple Man." Again, with the whispering into my ear... Goosebumps ran over my skin.

"You can leave the lane to me, I must farm, if you were interested to know anything about me."

"Yes, and I believe this is your first time mid-laning?" I blushed at this. "Yes, I see. Thinking we can go without a support now? I don't think so. And I won't." He leaned in, brushing his lips over my ear, jolting me with the slight contact, "Support you." I could hear the creep wave and I shoved him away, almost cutting him with my blades. "Hmpf," He smiled arrogantly, "Leave, Purple Man. Now. Run top, I do believe Venomancer is aimlessly slithering about, no? You should assist him."

I could not help but feel angry, so I did what I assumed was logical.

I decided to fuck with his lane by staying.

He allowed it as the creeps came in, and when they died and we had picked off Razor's miniature forces, the two sides staring each other down during the wait, I felt the mage's hand slip to my belt and suddenly it clicked open. "Whoops!" He grinned and bolted away as I fumbled to attach it again. Razor had stilled on the opposite side, cocking his head in a curious manner.

"Can you even act like an adult, you sickening mage?"

"Mage? You think me simply a mage?" He chuckled, "I am an arch-mage!"

That explains the churning low in my stomach… "Disgusting."

"No. Depraved...yes." He straightened up and gave me an assessing look, "Your name, Purple Man?"

"It is Anti-Mage, if you should know it."

"And mine is Invoker, though I would like your true name, if we are to invite death through a companionship here…" He gestured to the lane. Creeps were in the distance, and I couldn't help but hope they ran faster. Invoker. This was the man of legend, of infinite years and knowledge… and magic.

"Magina."

"An… anti-mage," His eyes widened, so expressive, and he looked as though he were explaining something very complicated, even going so far as to slow his speech, "Named…Magi-na?"

"Yes, and what name do you bear that is better than that of mine?"

"Carl."

Double take, "I apologize, but come again?"

"Carl. My name is Carl."

I stared, open mouthed. This was the wizard above all others, the coup-de-grace, and his name…

Creeps ran past me.

Was Carl.

He had lived since nigh the dawn of time, and he was named…

"Carl! Get Anti-mage in line!" I snapped my head around to see Windrunner pass by, glaring at me. But… His name was Carl…

I don't understand how no one seemed to notice this.

"I'm attempting valiantly, Windrunner!" Carl yelled back.

Carl.

Then those white eyes flooded my vision, and I was shocked to see his face was now entirely placid. He threw me to the wave, "Farm, damn you! I have you covered!"

Oh...okay then. My heart jumped… happily?  
Oh! Fuck my fucking internal organs! They don't know shit!

Another two creep waves came and passed, and in the interlude we watched Razor prowl. Then I felt a hand low on my back. Immediately, sharp tingles of magic exploded from the point of contact and I arched away, tripping down the steps once more into the water. This time, when I pulled my head from the river, coughing, I heard a familiar voice.

"Magina! What in the hell are you doing?!" Crystal Maiden. Overbearing bitch… "Get out of there! Now! I'm sorry, Carl, I didn't realize he'd be a problem."

I dragged myself from the mud at the foot of the steps, clawing up the marble only to see Invoker staring listlessly around, "No, it is fine, I have dealt with inferiority my entire life. It is no change now."

What? "Hey, no! Rylai! He threw me in!"

"Threw you in? Why would he recklessly endanger you! Carl is not the type! Get back to work or I'll make you act as our courier!" Her snarl was to be reckoned with...

I winced and crawled out, "But-"

"Just because he can mid-lane better than you doesn't mean you can act like this and make up stories, it's pathetic! Once again, so sorry, Carl." Did she bat her eyes at him?

"It is of no consequence, I can handle this well enough."  
"I'm sure you can…" She was blushing. Oh how the mighty fall…

"You should return to the jungle, Crystal Maiden." He rumbled.

"Oh, yes," She turned red, "Thank you!" And bolted.

"What did you just do!?" I pointed after her, gaping.

"I made a suggestion." Invoker gave a smug smile.

"Did you mind control her, or replace her with someone, because that is not the Rylai I know and abhor." I shook the water from my head. Two fingers suddenly caught my chin, directing me to gaze up into white eyes.

"You're all wet." He muttered, and heat flushed over me, originating from his fingertips. I realized as he released me that all the water I'd been previously soaked with was gone. "There, better." I was so stunned that he was able to simply swing a leg out and catch me behind the knees, causing me to fall. Most would have hurt themselves on blades like mine, but I was skilled enough to maneuver the sharpened metal away, though having to catch myself painfully on my elbows. I grunted and he chuckled. "Oh, I'm having sooo much fun. Shall we?" He arched a brow and jerked his head at the creep wave.

I would make him suffer so very, very badly…

* * *

**Carl**

I smiled down at the befuddle Anti-Mage before me. He sat behind the tower, successfully defended, and sulked in front of the flames. Blue lightning crackled in the enemy territory and every now and then that fire woman meandered by, scouting for Magina and I. I sat beside him, pulling out our late dinner rations, cooking them instantly, "Here." I handed it to him with a small smile.

He took it with a look that bespoke poison.

I appreciated the sculpted muscles, remembering my first glimpse of him this morning, stretching in dawn's light.

Beautiful.

I liked playing with him, he was rather easy to fluster in such matters of the immature, though I enjoyed the intense and unshakable demeanor he presumed upon taking up his blades to fight.

But alas, now, he was blushing in the firelight.

Sexy little beast… I must have you…

The thought shocked me.

Had I ever wanted someone…?

I thought back and realized no, not in all my years. Magic had been my sole companion… I wondered what made this man so special. I observed him clinically, assessing his good physique. He was sexy, I'd give him that, but over the years I'd seen more attractive men and women. With better hair styles…. But the markings did intrigue the eye… Unfortunately again, I had to discount this as there was much better body art elsewhere. What else? The clothing? Blah. Blades? Nice, but not unique. The eyes-

Magina glanced up at me and my heart leapt.

Ahh… And there it was.

I smiled down at him and pointed my spoon right at his nose, "You know, Anti, that you have the most gorgeous eyes?"

"What, you want them? Because I'd rather stare at my own eyes than your disgustingly vacant ones." He turned away, luckily, because I knew my face had contorted for a second in shock and pain.

His eyes had called to me, and he was revolted by my own…

Angry, I teleported the food from his bowl to my almost empty one.

"Give it back, Invoker!" He growled.

"Certainly," I dipped a spoon in the broth, whispering the words I needed under my breath.

"The hell!" Magina struggled but couldn't move his arms, his eyes went wild, causing my gut to clinch and the breath to leave my lungs in surprise at how much I enjoyed teasing him like this.

"Eat." I commanded, offering him the spoon with a smile.

"Like hell I will! Like hell you'll feed me!"

"I let you farm, I protected you, now I get a reward." I leaned in, "Open up."

He clenched his jaw shut. Fine. "I can just use magic for this."

"You wouldn't dare do-" I slipped the soup in his mouth, watching as he stilled, taking the broth from the spoon. I retracted it.

"Not so bad," I gathered another spoonful, delighting in his flushed face, "Should I continue?"

"No-" I slipped it in again.

"You are so adorable," I smiled.

This continued for a while till suddenly, with the last few bites, he just accepted it with a grim expression. This of course gave me butterflies for the rest of the night, and after I let him move he practically bolted to the other side of the camp. I lay down to sleep with joy.

Tomorrow would just be oodles of fun.

 


	2. War

_**Magina** _

This was awful.

Horrible.

I was laning with an ancient arch-mage, THE Ancient arch-mage, Carl.

And apparently he loves to sexually harass me…

I had passed out, curled up, praying he would do no more.  
And now I was entangled in warm limbs, the great Carl having decided to spoon me without my permission. I wiggled, trying to get away. It was Shagbark who came to my rescue, running up and licking Carl's face, making him move to sit up.

I scrambled away, hoping Razor hadn't seen-

I looked over to see Razor staring across the lane.

What must he think of me?

Razor was a proud being, who would never stand to be treated like this.

Hell,  **I'm**  a proud being who would never stand to be treated like this. I brought myself up to confront Carl when I felt something cold stab through my leg. I instantly recognized the feeling and met Carl's eyes, seeing the shock and fear in them.

Pudge, that-

I was pulled through the air quickly, silently, and was caught in a cloud of… ugh. Pudge.

I turned to the butcher and sliced quickly up into his stitches, before moving to run, trying to find my way through the forest back to my tower, but Pudge was there, chopping through me with his cleaver. I thought that this might be it, I'd die again and have to regen, but then… was that a giant meteor…? Did that just happen?

A meteor had fallen down and simply burned over Pudge, rolling harmlessly away from me. I felt two arms wrap around me and drag me back. The familiar pull of magic… Carl was saving my ass on day two? This was just shameful.

I faded in and out before I felt a cooling salve touch my wounds, being gently rubbed in.

"Magina? Magina, stay with me… imbecile…'

I heard voices from a distance:

"C-Carl? Oh god, that stupid- Let me get him, I'll take him back to base."

"Let me, Crystal Maiden, he was my charge-"

"No, go back, let me take him."

Everything went black for a while before I came to in the fountain, laying on a cot. The shopkeeper sat behind his stall, reading an ancient text, while Shagbark played innocently enough in a small pool of water. I groaned, trying to rise.

"Lay back down, Magina, you've been gravely injured. You'll be fine in an hour or so…" The shopkeeper said absently, not even glancing towards me as he flipped a page of his book.

I rested once more, feeling the ease of the fountain's aura seeping into my bones. I wondered for a bit from whence the meteor had arrived, but came to no conclusion other than luck or the work of that infernal arch-mage.

I didn't have but ten minutes of warm silence to myself before Lyralei entered the fountain. She went straight to my side and smacked my shoulder, "What did I tell you about going into danger like that!? You scared me half to death!"

"Going into danger?" I coughed a bit, the taste of blood in my mouth, "With Pudge, the whole world can be considered danger. It's not like I was actively participating in procuring it…"

She sighed and called out to the shopkeeper a list of things she needed before sitting on the cot beside me, "I told you to practice with someone beside you a bit more before going out on your own…" She patted my arm, "Or working with someone like Invoker. You should have just left him… maybe you should lane with me." She smiled brightly.

"I would like that very-"

"No." Rylai. Of course. She came to the foot of my bed, determined to make me suffer even more. "He insisted doggedly on mid-lane. He can live with his decision. If he dies it will be a good lesson for him. Maybe he'll listen to my orders from now on."

"Rylai, you don't understand. It's Invoker-" I began, but she cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"Without Carl, you would be dead right now-"

"Without Carl I wouldn't have jumped into the open-"

"Why would he make you jump into the open?" Windrunner chimed in, trying to be the voice of reason.

I gritted my teeth. I'd only fought a couple battles with the Radiant Army so far, I'd only just begun to get settled into the group, only just begun to figure out where I was, who I was… after Turstarkuri I had been so alone, and I'd finally found a home again, only now to have to deal with… Carl. I shook my head, not wanting to shame myself by telling them about Invoker's actions towards me.

"See? There is no reason, other than your irrational fear of magic." Rylai stated, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

"Rylai!" Lyralei hissed to her friend.

I clenched my fists, rolling my eyes, "No. It is not that."

"Then what, pray tell, has he done to make you act so foolishly?" She crossed her arms, waiting impatiently.

I swallowed my pride, to escape Invoker and my leader's misplaced hatred I would accept the shame, "He's… He's been sexually harassing me."

Both women were silent. Rylai looked disbelieving, while Lyralei stared off in stunned contemplation, actually taking my accusation seriously.

It was at this moment that Invoker decided to stroll in, looking for all the world as if he owned the damned place. "How is the Anti-Mage?"

"Making up stories, bad ones at that. He claims you've sexually harassed him!" Rylai glared at me. Whilst their backs were turned, Invoker's bored expression melted and he smirked, eye's twinkling somehow.

"Did he now…?"

"Yes!" Rylai turned swiftly, and just as quick, Invoker's gaze went vacant, "I cannot believe the way he is acting. I truly apologize. And you shouldn't be here, you should be back out there-"

"Worry not," Invoker walked steadily past her to my side, standing over me, peering down at my wounds, "The Mother Bear is in my stead. She spoke of wanting to tear something apart by herself for a small bit of time. I found it in my heart to acquiesce."

"How thoughtful of you…" Rylai seemed too enamored to notice that Lyralei had rolled her eyes, though Invoker saw it and I could tell he was struggling not to smile.

"Indeed," He made a face, which Lyralei caught, her eyes widening and her teeth biting down on her lip to hold in a giggle, "Are you well, Anti-Mage? I apologize that I did not rescue you sooner from the butcher." His hand softly reached out and touched my forehead. Immediately I felt warmth radiate from it, what I now recognized as the energy signature of his magic.

He was checking my health.

"I'm fine," I smacked his hand away, in the process reopening a wound across my chest. I hissed in a breath and he turned on his heel, grabbing a cup from the side of the fountain and dipping it in the water. He returned to my side, cutting off Rylai's chastising comments, and poured it over the wounds, whispering an incantation. I felt the pain disappear and became boneless, my eyes fluttering closed.

Through a magically induced half-sleep, I overheard the following:

Rylai growled, "What a stupid boy, pretending to be a man."

Carl asked with barely the inflection needed to indicate a question, "Boy?"

Lyralei sighed, "He was a servant, a monk-to-be, at a monastery far away… During a war his friends were all slain and made to join the horde of undead soldiers that slew them. At least from what I've heard… Really, Rylai, you should show him more kindness…"

"He joined my legion, joined my war. These are our people, Lyra, I can't show kindness to half-hearted warriors."

"But yet your words match not your actions. He has given your cause his whole being, heart and soul, but you do not give him what you owe in return." Carl rumbled. "I must return to my lane, before the Mother Bear overextends herself. She has her cubs to return to at dusk, I would not want them to wait long. Send the Anti-Mage to me when he is well once more."

I heard him leave, feeling the enchantment weighing heavier upon me, blocking everything out.

* * *

I woke the next morning, rising and noticing little more than scars where jagged wounds had previously lain. "Invoker ordered you some supplies, take it and take his, Shagbark is with Rylai at the moment." I looked over to the shopkeeper, holding out a knapsack of supplies with one hand, his other steadying a larger tomb than before upon his knee. I grabbed the bag, slinging it over my shoulders before gathering up my blades and jogging the miles up midlane towards the tier one tower.

There I found Carl, relaxing on a log by the vine covered structure, shouting over to the other side of the river, "Really? How fascinating."

As I approached I heard the reply, a hissing whisper from a knotted web that had taken over the Dire's tower, "Yes, yes. My children will then be birthed from their corpses, and they can birth their children from the corpses of their prey as well!"

"How do they know you?"

"By my web. Each spider has a unique string consistency that we use to identify each other."

"Is the difference quite significant? Can you tell families through their web?" As Carl spoke I set our supplies down behind the tower, listening, unnoticed as of yet.

"Yes, yessss, quite intelligent, Invoker. Who is this behind you?"

Ah, not so unnoticed. Carl turned, smiling brightly at me, "Ah, Arachnia! This is Magina, the Anti-Mage. Magina, this," He gestured to the web, "Well, somewhere over here is Arachnia, the Broodmother. She is who we are against currently. Right now we are on lunch break. She's fascinating, you should come chat with us."

Uncertainly, I sat away from Carl, taking my rations out of a box at the foot of the tower and nibbling at them.

"He's a cute little one, I must say…" The words whispered over, "So an Arch-Mage and Anti-Mage, how sweeeet." A low, strange, echoing laughter rumbled over. "I think I rather like you two, yes, I think I do…"

"I'm just going to hate fighting you, and I can't wait to see your little ones, I bet they're adorable!"

"Yes, they are my little beauties, but worry not, they feel little pain, and their deaths are an honor to their homeland. We will secure it, and finally my brood can live in peace."

"Why did you not join the Radiant then?" I asked, speaking up finally.

"The Radiant will take the side of those who wish to steal the treasure hidden near my lair. That disgusting Vizier hid it in the hopes I would protect it or discourage thieves. Perhaps I will have peace for a year, maybe two before they come to tear apart my home and crush my babies, taking the treasure for themselves. I am but a monster to them, and always will be."

"I would not stand for such a thing. Perhaps, with your help, we could remove the treasure from near your home and you could live without worry."

"You seem like sweet men, but I would not trust your companions to be even slightly obliging to my continued existence. Forgive me my fighting you, I am simply a mother doing what is best for her broodlings."

"I would never fault a mother for doing her job." Carl laughed a bit before stopping suddenly, "Oh, hello there." I looked over to see a small spiderling peering up at Invoker curiously, "You should go back to your mother, you're far too miniscule to be out here. I would not want to fight you until it was a fair battle, now, would I?" He set aside his meal and reached for the baby, "Come on up!" The spider, trusting the strange man quickly, crawled up into his arms, barely filling them, "Let's take you back home, okay? Truce?" He called over to the web.

There was momentary silence before a whisper, "Truce. Bounty Hunter, hurt him and I shall make you the next vessel for my younglings." A cat-like creature slipped from the web and crawled on top of the Dire's tower, raising his hands in a show of peace.

Invoker strode across the river, keeping the baby spider from touching the water, and stopped before the web. A large, terrifying spider emerged from it's depths, having been hidden, and reached out for the baby, "There, there, little one, come back home. I've been wondering where you wandered to… Thank you, Carl."

He bowed, grinning, "You are quite welcome, Ma'am."

The spider laughed, "You are a very strange human. Return to your friend, eat. We fight in an hour."

"Yes, we shall." He bent over and pet the baby spider's head. The little creature jumped from it's mother's arms into his. "Oh, hey there little guy," He kissed the spider and chuckled, "I'll be seeing you in a bit, won't I? Fight bravely now, okay?"

I heard a shrill squeak, so tiny I almost missed it, before Invoker returned the baby to it's mother. He turned and waved with a smile. Once under the tower, the cat creature delved back into the web, disappearing.

"Carl…"

"Hm?" He looked over to me, a smile still playing on his lips.

"Do we really have to fight them…?"

"..." The smile faded. "It is a war, Magina."

"...Will the babies respawn?"

"Only heroes at our level can… The babies will die permanently."

"Can we do anything…?"

"Make sure they don't suffer."

I went silent, looking into the web, imagining the small brood lying within, growing stronger and readying themselves to die for their future siblings. "How old are they?"

"Arachnia told me they grow quickly at first. They gestate within a corpse for about half an hour, emerge and eat the creatures that get captured in her web for a couple hours more before they are almost the size of a standard creep. Then they level off. It takes them about a couple years from then to actually grow to the size of a mega creep. It took Arachnia many, many decades to reach her full size."

"So...We're murdering creatures that are barely a couple days old, if not hours old?"

"Yes." He sighed, "Yes we are."

"...Couldn't you talk to Rylai and Ursa? Rylai would listen to you, and Ursa would understand Arachnia needing to protect her children-"

"Magina. Their opinion doesn't matter, what matter's is Arachnia's. She has lived much longer than you, and she knows what and who she's fighting for. This is her decision, not theirs. I have no doubt they would allow her to defect if she chose, but even I know that Arachnia would rather her and her babies die at our hands here and have the Dire win, than live a future to watch her entire home be destroyed by those who live under the Radiant's banner. The Radiant love the light, the cute, the cuddly. A brood of spiders in their domain would be a blight soon remedied."

I paused, looking down at my hands. "Are we fighting for the right side, then?"

"We fight for the side that is best for us and our people. Humans, Enchanters, Gods, the enlightened. They fight for the side that is best for them. Monsters, Demons, Devils, the cursed and the damned. In the long run, we can only serve ourselves, and understand that our enemies do the same. It's war." He sat beside me and patted my back, startling me. "The outcome will always burn someone, we just have to make sure it's not our families."

"But just now-" I indicated the web with my hand, but he shook his head to stop me.

"I do not care for either the dark or the light when in times of peace. I care for individuals. In war, however, I will fight for what I know is best for the future I envision."

"What future do you envision?"

He paused, then shrugged, "It is one in which I can study magic in peace once again."

"So this is all for magic?" I spat at him.

"No. My actions are for me." He began cleaning up the food, "As yours are for you. As Arachnia's are for her. If you respect your own decision, you can respect ours for what they really are. Now. Rise. Arachnia stirs."

On cue, her voice whispered over the water, "Are you ready, sweetlings?"

"Almost!" Invoker replied, "Give us but a moment for the creeps to arrive, and we shall begin."


	3. Turncoat

_**Carl** _

"Magina…" I sighed, throwing up my orbs, readying myself for battle, "There's nothing we can do."

"There has to be something…" My poor, gorgeous acquaintance was curled in on himself, clutching his head.

"There is nothing."

"They're innocent. I never wanted to slaughter- They're children…"

"I know," I knelt beside him, "Rise… Would you have them die at your hand or at Rylai's?"

Magina shuddered to think what the Crystal Maiden would do to any arachnid, for she hated them. "I...would have them die at no-one's hands."

"That is not your decision to make." I gently reached out, taking his hand in mine, "Magina, it is time." The creep wave was running by. "Come now, rise…" I tugged at his hand but he jerked it away, rising on his own. Looking up I could see tear stains upon his cheeks. He looked to the side and I chose not to comment.

We moved to the river, and with our luck we found that Bounty Hunter (that cat creature) and Arachnia herself were the only ones we had to battle for some time. It was upon many hours into our battle, with each tower taking some damage, when we heard a shrill shriek from behind us. Arachnia chuckled, "Like mother, like spiders."

I could tell Magina had paled, his worry less for Rylai, the obvious owner of the cry, but for the spiderlings. He bolted before I could stop him, "Anti-Mage!" I froze Bounty and looked around quickly to find where he'd disappeared to, "Magina!"

"Is he going to save the woman?" Arachnia chuckled.

"No, he's going to save your younglings." I sputtered, "Dammit, I need someone here!" I looked around, then back to Arachnia, "Take the damn tower will you!?" I ran after Magina, not caring for a building so much as his reputation with Rylai...I could not imagine what she would do to him if he tried to protect Broodmother's children from her.

I felt a cold wind explode from within the forest following another cry. Magina was damnably fast, but he could not have made it in time to protect the spiderlings from Crystal Maiden's attack. I finally made it to the creep camp where Rylai had been farming before she was ambushed. Magina stood there looking in terror at frozen, curled up spiderlings, while Crystal bled to the side, trying to crawl away from an injured, but still very alive troll, advancing angrily.

"Carl, Anti-mage, thank the-" I silenced her and moved to Magina's side, resting my hand on his shoulder, "We must return to the tower."

Rylai tried to scream but nothing came out as the troll grabbed a primitive weapon and struck her down with it. I hit it with a small burst of magic afterwards and it fell down, dead. Magina knelt beside a dead spiderling, "Any of these could be the one you gave back to Arachnia… it was so sweet, and trusting…"

"Magina, don't dwell on-" A sickening cracking sound arose from the dead troll. "Magina…" I peaked at the body, "How...long did we fight Arachnia?"

"At least four hours… Why do you ask?"

The corpse moved, "You know the spiderlings can inject their mother's young into their victims if they do it soon enough…"

"Are you saying…?"

"Yes." The corpse cracked open and a spider crawled out of it's chest wearily, stumbling about and shivering, it's furry body wet with blood that was quickly freezing from the aftermath of Rylai's attack. Another stumbled out behind it, this one's legs weaker than the other's, failing it and it fell to the ground, crying out at the feel of the icy earth.

"By the Gods…" Magina tore my cape from my shoulders and scooped up the little creatures in it, holding them close, "They need to be kept warm, we should take them to the fountain-"

"Magina, we can't take them back, not after they killed Rylai."

"So what do we do? We can't just leave them here."

"...We cannot take them back to Arachnia, that will be seen as traitorous."

A little spider with a deep black diamond mark on it's thorax nuzzled Magina's chest for warmth, making a squeaky 'burr' sound. Magina looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, and my heart leapt up to my throat then fell back down through my ribcage to my stomach.

"Powers that be…" I walked back and forth. "You can't do this Magina, the Dire will eat you alive."

"I don't care, this isn't right. I can't stay here when this is what the Radiant would do to innocent creatures...no matter how strangely born." He moved to grab Rylai's knapsack by the bloodspot where her body had once been. He checked for all he needed and stole some from the camp's chests. "I'm leaving."

I stood there, my heart slamming in my chest.

"Quickly, flee before Rylai regens, I'll pretend I came back later. I wouldn't want you in trouble for this."

I frowned… I remembered gentle, lonely days in solace and wonder, surrounded by my magic. It was all I had ever wanted to return to…

But as I saw Magina stuffing bags full of supplies for the spiderlings on their way back to their temporary brood nest, I realized it seemed...hollow.

I scooped up some supplies from a nearby table and dumped it in a knapsack I found to the side, "Alright, let's move. I'll leave a note for Ursa to beware of traps and move her little ones away, as well as that we have defected."

Magina paused, shocked slightly, then nodded, "Tell Lyra I'm so sorry... I'll miss her."

I felt angry at Magina's concern for Lyra, but I did as I was asked, nailing it to a tree above Rylai's death spot. "We will leave now."

As they walked along, Anti asked me, "What about your future, your magic?"

"...I realized I wanted something else."

"May I ask what that is?"

"Perhaps another time, but we have little ones to care for now."

Magina huffed, "What do we call them? We have to go around mid-lane and through the river or we risk pulling them into danger by walking into the middle of a battle, so it will take a while. We need something to refer to them by."

I peaked over at the one without a star on it's back and lifted it into my arms. It was the weaker one, but it was definitely more energetic. As we walked along it waved it's limbs wildly and made a strange gurgling happy sound, clacking it's fangs. "Well, now this one reminds me of an old wizard's apprentice I once knew. How about we call it Seamus."

"What if it's a girl?" I peaked over and saw Magina looking around the spider in his arms, "How do we uh...tell?"

"Well, they're probably girls."

"How do you know? And if they are shouldn't you give that one a girl name?"

I shrugged, grinning, "Well, they're pretty damn big for newborns, so I assume they're girls. Girl spiders are always bigger than male spiders. And Seamus isn't the worst name a girl could have."

Magina rolled his eyes, "What about you?" he lifted his spiderling carefully and looked over the star shaped pattern on it's thorax, "Can I call you Star? Because of your pretty marking?" The spider squeaked joyfully, making Magina's mouth split into a heart stopping grin. "I'll take that as a yes."

Gods help me.

My heart wouldn't handle much more of this man's naive sweetness and loving character.

I'll be honest, I was terrified.

I was terrified because I realized I would follow this Anti-Mage to the ends of the earth just to see him smile like that again.

* * *

_**Magina** _

I gulped slightly, a little disturbed by what I'd witnessed. Little Star crunched down on the paralyzed squirrel she had just caught in a miniature web she'd spun behind me. We had set up camp behind the Thunderhides, safely tucked away in their alcove. The large beings only let us stay because Carl had soothed them, promising them no harm. So here I sat on a small stump, with my new charges munching happily away at small fluffy critters they'd captured.

Carl coo'd "Aw, aren't you just the most precious little things! Look, Magina, they have blood all over their fur, it's so cute!"

"Mmmhm…" I stared away into space, ignoring what was occurring behind me. I tried to focus on the morrow. We planned to jump down the small pathway to the left of this camp and run across the river basin to the Dire side. We stopped here for the night to clean the spiderlings up and make sure there were no adverse side-effects of being born during the icy aftermath of Rylai's Freezing Field. In the early morning we could likely make it out to the Dire side without anyone from our team sneaking up on us…

"Magina...you're wounded, you know."

"This is the seventh time, at least, that you have told me that. And for the seventh time I shall say: it is but a small scratch." It was more than a scratch. I had a deep wound from an encounter with Bounty Hunter that had occurred right before I'd heard Rylai's cry, but I would be damned if I let the arch-mage try to heal me with his…  _magic._

I didn't want to admit it, but it was soothing, gentle… warm. I shook my head, trying to get away from such thoughts. It was magic. It was false and demented. As was Carl. Even as he helped me and the spiderlings, even as he had smiled so sweetly at them and cared for them… no, I could not let him fool me. He was like magic.

It was all a facade for something dark lurking within… I just was too blinded to see it as of yet.

"Please let me help you…" He reached out but when I jerked back his features fell. Those white orbs dimmed sadly, his expressive features crumpling up as he looked away. "I...understand. At least bind it… I don't want to watch you sit there in pain."

"I'm not in pain." It was excruciating.

Carl sighed and leaned back against a tree, with Seamus hopping into his lap, now finished with her meal. "Hello there, Seamus. How are you?" His smile seemed forced now and the spiderling took notice. She clicked her pincers in worry and looked up at him questioningly. As he shrugged sadly in reply, I felt Star at my wounded arm.

I gritted my teeth, fully expecting her to bite down or attempt to feed from my wound, but instead she began crawling around and around my arm, spinning a tight little web around my wound. It stung, but once she was finished, the sticky substance actually felt cooling, like a strangely solid salve. I blinked at it, then grinned at her, "Thanks, Starlight." I picked her up and swung her onto my lap, causing her to let out a shrill and happy cry. She reminded me of a human baby.

I rubbed her legs, tickling her, causing her to squeal and squirm happily, and I chuckled, not caring that she still had the blood of the squirrel drying on her fur. I peeked up at Carl to see if he noticed her antics, but instead I stilled when I saw his expression. He'd been looking at me, his eyes sparkling with dim colors bursting from behind, like white light being refracted around the edges of a crystal. He had the softest smile playing on his lips, sad but loving. It disappeared suddenly when he noticed I'd caught him looking and he shut down all visible emotion, his face taking on the stoic features he wore around Rylai and others like her.

His eyes even became expressionless. The beautiful refraction disappearing and a pure white shining instead.

I wished that I could have asked something, but words failed me. I couldn't begin to fathom how to instigate a conversation about the strange look he'd just given me… I bit my lip and looked away, my heart pounding in my chest and a weird flush overtaking my cheeks. Star chirped, having been momentarily forgotten. I swallowed my erratic emotions and wrapped her up in Carl's cloak, which I was still in possession of. "Seamus, come here, it's time for bed you two." I wrapped Seamus up in the cloak as well and lay them next to a small sleeping roll.

I moved down to rest on the sleeping roll, letting my heavy lids fall closed.

It felt strange, not sharing a good night with Carl, even though we had never said one before.

* * *

I was half awake when I became aware that I was surrounded by the most delicious smell in the entire world. I moaned slightly, my body sore from fighting all yesterday. I snuggled closer to the thrumming source of the scent and warmth… it felt like I was cuddling with the sun...and the sun smelled delightful. I inhaled deeply and nuzzled the warm fabric that met my cheek.

It was Carl's deep chuckle that woke me enough to realize that I was surrounded by his magic. Surrounded by him.

He had curled up against me while I slept.

Again.

I barely remembered the spiderlings at the last second and decided not to fling him, in case they were nearby. Instead, I opted for, "Get. The hell. Off. Of me."

"Really now? Because I do believe you were the one cuddling closer and closer and  _closer-_ "

"Shut up, Carl!" I bit out, managing to extricate one arm from his hold to hit his chest roughly.

He had the decency to cough as if it had hurt him and he smiled, "Don't be loud, you'll wake the children… and we have some morning time just to ourselves-" As he said this he ran a hand down my spine. Needless to say I snapped.

"I said shut up, Carl!"

A little squeak behind me made me flinch in regret.

I peaked over my shoulder to see Seamus blinking sleepily and rubbing her eyes while Star tried to disentangle herself from their makeshift blanket. "Oh, I'm sorry, girls!" Carl finally let me up and I helped the two out of Carl's cloak, after which they both climbed up my arms to my back. "H-hey!" I laughed, "That tickles, be careful you two!"

Carl chuckled, and I felt the weight of the spiderlings removed, "Now, now, you two. Let's not play with mommy so early in the morning, he doesn't like it."

"Mommy?" I sneered back at him, folding the cloak up, "How come I'm the mother and not you?"

"Are you implying we are a parental pair?"

"N-no!" I stuttered, "Just that it's weird that I'm the mother in this situation…" I began packing frantically while Carl entertained the spiderlings with a floating orb of light. "And we should get going while it's just the first light of day…"

"Agreed."

Once I'd packed everything up and we'd given our thanks to the Thunderhides, Carl and I wrapped one spiderling each in our knapsack to hold above the water as we trudged through the river basin, keeping an eye out for any sign of a hostile being.

We met no resistance and made it to the Dire side in no time at all, where we found a fallen log a good ways into the darkened woods to sit upon and rest while we dried our clothing. I reluctantly let Carl dry my wet pants and the bottom half of my cloak, his hand resting on my knee and emanating his warm magic over me. I shivered and he frowned, "Are you cold, Magina-mine?"

"No-Wait, what did you just call me?!" I frowned at him.

"Magina."

"N-no! You said something else!"

"Well, what did I say?" He lifted an eyebrow, but I could see his lip twitching, trying to control a smile.

"I'm not saying it."

"That's because I said nothing."

"But you said it."

"Then tell me what I said."

"I'm not going to."

"Why not?"

"Because it's weird!" I blushed, frowning away from him. I heard him chuckle, but the sound was cut off.

I frowned in confusion this time, and when I moved to look, my neck met with a cold blade, "Now, now, now, let's all be still. This is a Death on Delivery, but our dear friend...well,  _my_  dear friend, Rylai, wanted some words to be spoken to you both." Riki.

Dammit.

"You two traitors are going to die because you didn't just turn your backs on our army, you did it for two worthless little monsters. Creatures I'm going to smash right in front of you momentarily. But first, I want you to know." I peaked over at Carl, a blade pressing so close to his throat that red was dripping underneath it. His cheek ticked in barely controlled anger. "That I'm going to make this very, very slow-"

His voice went dead and the knives fell from our throats, Riki's body falling from behind us with a dull thud. A shaking Star had hidden at my feet, and as I scooped her up to comfort her, a thump in front of me made me look from her to the newcomer. Bounty Hunter stood from a crouch and tossed the decapitated head of Riki to the side, staring after it with a raised brow. "You may fool others, but not me. Your etiquette is flawed for one who hunts in the shadows…" He shrugged, turning to Carl and I "So, why have you come here?"

Carl spoke up, unphased by the wound at his throat as he comforted Seamus, "We are here to return two spiderlings to Broodmother, and we wish to defect to your army."

Bounty seemed unimpressed, "Sure. Broodmother is somewhere up the pathway to the right here." He readjusted the red cloth over his mouth, ears twitching, "You'll know when you hit the web. She'll come to you." He purred, "Meanwhile… I smell an icy heart on the horizon… I'll follow the trail." He disappeared suddenly into thin air.

Carl and I stayed quiet for a minute before I leapt to my feet, whisking Star up to rest on my shoulder. "Let's move, in case Bounty can't stall Rylai."

"Agreed. As usual."

"It wasn't usual two days ago.  _When we met._ "

"Has it been only so short a time…?" I looked over and Carl glanced to me with a smile, but I was distracted by the line of blood on his neck.

"You should get that."

"I will later." He hefted Seamus to his shoulder, where she clung to his neck for comfort, like a small child hugging it's parent.

"Alright, Starlight," I kissed the spiderling's head, "Let's get you home before anything else strange happens."

We walked the dirt path till we met the web, and sure enough, it wasn't a couple minutes after we had set foot on the fabric before Arachnia emerged. "Strange, to meet you here on friendly terms."

"How can you be sure they are friendly?" I asked.

"Bounty told me," She waved to the side, the cat emerging from the shadows behind us.

My shock at his appearance must have been apparent because Bounty snorted, "Yes, I'm just going to leave two strange men to walk around in my territory with their children."

"They aren't our children," I corrected, "We're just babysitting."

"Curious," Broodmother laughed, "Because they've certainly imprinted on you."

"Say what now…?" Carl blinked in confusion. "Please don't tell me…"

"Yes, Magina is terribly wrong in his assumption. They are entirely your children." Broodmother creeped over, "They wouldn't recognize my web. No," Star squeaked and jumped over my shoulder to hide from the encroaching Spider Queen, "See? They will only fear me for now. They are yours to care for."

I took a second to process this before I groaned out a, "Nooooooo…. I'm too young for parenthood…" I hung my head sadly.

Carl patted my arm, "Hey, so about that partner thin-"

"NO CARL." I shouted at him.

"What, may I ask, is this…?" We turned to see a red knight upon a terrifying stallion. A being I had hoped never to meet. "I come to the northern frontier, to check up on my best warriors, supposedly at war… to find…  _this."_

"Nessaj…" I whispered in shock.

**To be continued….**


	4. Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a loooong time, I sincerely apologize to anyone who was following this - I've been trying to wrap up some of my other fanfictions, but one of them became a beast that I can't really see the end of so I'm taking a small hiatus from it to focus on the other fictions like these. :)

_**Magina** _

"Nessaj…" I whispered in shock.

"Yes, I am aware of my own name, purple-" Chaos Knight paused, catching sight of Star and Seamus. "What...are those?" He dismounted Armageddon, striding over to lift Seamus up from Carl's arms, making both of us uneasy. He stared at her, turning the scared spiderling around to see her better. "Where is- Abie! Abie!" He called over his shoulder in a furious tone. Soon the man in question showed up, riding his steed. Abaddon, hidden in his darkened armor, turned to his companion, his legendary mist swirling around him.

"Yes, Nessy?" He seemed half asleep.

Nessaj tsk'd at him angrily, "Hush, now. Look at these things. They're fucking adorable."

"What- Oh, you are correct!" He swung himself from his horse, now fully awake, and jogged towards his partner, almost tripping over Broodmother's web in his excitement, "Oh, just look at you!" His voice rose an octave as he took Star from me, "Look at how cute you are! Who's a cute little arachnid? You are!"

I felt the most surreal sensation. Nessaj and Abaddon, the Dire's most feared commanders…were…were...cooing over spiderlings...and calling each other Nessy and Abie… like some old, sickeningly sweet, married couple.

Wait…

Oh my gods,  _were they?_

"Nessy, can we have childre-"

"I told you, not until the war is over, Abie. Aw… They're smiles are so cute…"

"Please, Nessy…"

"No, Abie, I told you this before."

"Fine…" The man's mist-shrouded shoulders sagged sadly, heaving a sigh before returning Star to my arms. "What are their names?"

"O-Oh, this is Starlight, and uh, that's Seamus." I nodded to the spiderling Nessaj was bouncing happily in his arms.

"Absolutely adorable…" The red knight muttered, returning Seamus to Carl's arms. His voice suddenly dropped back into the stern, commanding manner he had begun with, "Now, I demand to know who you two are."

"I am Carl," Invoker stepped right up next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist, "And this is Magina." I slapped his hand off of me and moved away, blushing.

Abaddon and Nessaj seemed to share a humorous look between them at the sight of us and I felt a sickening drop in my stomach when I realized what they must be thinking. I was about to remedy their misconception when Broodmother interjected her thoughts, "The two of them wish to defect to the Dire side and raise Starlight and Seamus, since the little ones have imprinted upon them. I say that they would be welcome additions to our legion."

Nessaj nodded, "And what are your thoughts, Gondar?"

Bounty spoke up, "I saved the fools from Riki. He meant to torture them for attempting to rescue the spiderlings and join us. I slaughtered the moron, and since then have been watching this little family here," He waved to encompass us, "They seem like honest men, who simply wish to protect innocents."

Nessaj took off his helmet, revealing a man with thin, skeletal features. His eyes were not made of fire, as they appeared to be in his visor, but rather emitted a dull glow like embers, the pupils a deep amber-red. He tucked the helmet under his arm and shifted closer to Abaddon, linking his armored fingers with his partner's. Drawing them up to his thin lips, he kissed them absentmindedly as he looked off into the distance, thinking. Abaddon removed his helmet with his free hand as well, the mist disappaiting slightly.

In contrast to Nessaj, Abaddon had stronger, more lifelike features, but they didn't have the harsh, passionate edge to them. Instead, the mist softened his irises, his dark hair flowed down to his shoulder blades, and his eyes crinkled lovingly around the edges when he gazed at his partner. He leaned over and, strangely enough, had to tiptoe slightly to kiss Nessaj's cheek. "You're thinking too hard, love."

Nessaj grumbled, standing up straighter and looking shyly to the side, as if embarrassed to have an affectionate moment in front of his soldiers and a couple of strangers. He then blushed a bit about the very edges of his cheeks and leaned down to nuzzle Abaddon's hair, right above his ear, "Mmm, what do you make of all this, Abie?"

"I think that we could use some more soldiers, and that we have some extra room around here to set up a temporary home for them and the little ones. And we  _were_ going to stay here for another few days, so we could keep an eye on them."

Nessaj sighed, a small smile tilting his lips, "I'll put my faith in you…" He kissed the tip of Abaddon's ear and stepped away from him towards Carl and I, his easy and amorous demeanor changing immediately to one fit only for the most fearsome officer the Dire had to offer, "You two morons can remain here from now on. One wrong move, and we will murder you, is that understood?"

Carl and I nodded.

"Good. Now, I need to go check over the supplies with Abaddon-"

"We just did that-" With a quick glare from Nessaj, Abaddon quieted, a deep crimson burning over his cheeks, amending, "O-Oh, yes we need to go check on that." He cleared his throat nervously, "Very important, yes."

Nessaj looked as if he were tempted to connect his palm to his face, but he seemed to resist the urge, and calmed himself visibly, "In the meantime, Gondar will lead you to Nyxie," Nessaj placed his helmet back on as he said this, turning to Abaddon and placing a hand on his lower back, "He'll take care of setting you up with a place to stay."

"Thank you very much, Chaos Knight and Abaddon." Carl nodded to them and I quickly stuttered out a nervous and embarrassed thank you as well.

I could see Abaddon smile at me knowingly before Nessaj pressed against his lower back to guide him to their horses, he whispered something low that I couldn't hear in Abaddon's ear, making the man flush and nod, "Well, we'll be off now, important inventory things to take care of."

I couldn't see Nessaj's eyes behind the visor, but I was certain they were rolling in embarrassment. Bounty chuckled, "Just don't do important inventory things anywhere near the inventory. Or on it."

Abaddon flushed and Nessaj chuckled, "Certainly not. Farewell."

The two mounted their steeds and left down the lane, leaving me and Carl to stand awkwardly near our new brothers-in-arms.

Arachnia laughed low, the whispered noise echoing gently from her web as she descended back into it, "Young love…"

Bounty just started walking, "Follow me." We moved down the lane for a bit before turning right into the woods. We were led to a small shop, tucked away in some twisting paths; there we found a shopkeeper, similar in guise to our own, frowning sadly at a large arachnid who was waving his scythe-like forearms angrily.

"Nyx nyx nyx! Nyx nyx nyx nyx nyx!"

The shopkeeper sighed, "I cannot understand what you are saying…"

"Nyx…" The creature's shoulders sagged sadly and he began dragging his scythes through the dirt, drawing a picture of the items he wanted.

"Oh! Of course, I'll be right with you!" The Shopkeeper went back into his stall and rummaged through things as Nyx turned to us.

With a grin (or what I assumed might be one, if the gently rise of his cheekbones over the red mask were anything to go by), Bounty huffed, "Why do you always attempt to speak first?"

"Nyx nyx nyx!"

"Yes… Well." A pair of eyebrows descended in confusion, but the expression died quickly, "Nyxie, I would like you to meet Carl and Magina, as well as their children, Seamus and Starlight. Nessaj and Abaddon have agreed to let them stay a while, and directed them towards your care."

"Nyx nyx nyx nyx nyx! Nyx. Nyx nyx nyx."

"That is very kind of you, Nyx." Carl nodded with a smile.

Bounty's eyebrows shot up and he turned on his heel to stare at Carl, "Did- Did you just understand-"

"Yes, I did. After living many more years that possible to count, one finds languages a rather thin barrier to overcome."

"Nyx Nyx!" The arachnid threw it's scythes upwards towards the sky to express it's joy.

"I would assume so." Carl chuckled, finding whatever was said humorous.

The shopkeeper had returned by now, gently wrapping something tighter before handing it to Nyx, who carefully balanced the rod-like package on the tips of it's limbs and slipped it into a small pouch on his back. "Nyx nyx, nyx nyx nyx!"

Carl took one look at the shopkeeper's features before translating, "He says 'I am sorry again, but next time I shall draw out the item for you immediately."

"Oh! Thank you." The shopkeeper nodded to Nyx, "Thank you for your business."

Nyx hopped a bit as it turned, wiggling it's abdomen in a form of joy. It was strange to witness this creature that had haunted my nightmares act - for lack of a better word - silly. "Nyx!" It began a quick-paced scurry past us.

Carl followed without question, and with a shrug from Bounty I accepted that we should likely follow as well. Star squirmed in my arms, peaking at the new environment from the safety of the cloak I still had wrapped around her. The cat-creature beside me tilted it's head, ragged ears flicking, "So, what do you think of your new home?"

"I think it is strange, foreign…" I dodged a centipede the length of my leg and the width of my torso, "A little terrifying. But nothing I won't get used to in time. I chose this path, and if I'm to raise the spiderlings here, I will learn to love it so that they can as well."

The slitted eyes regarded me carefully before they slid to Carl, "Do you trust him?"

"Of course," I almost winced at how the words had slipped out without my permission, "Why do you ask?"

"Forgive me, but I observe my opponents. I learn them before battle, and I gather information about them. That's what separates Riki and I - he jumps in with no caution, he's taken his invisibility for granted, whereas I must learn my way around the shadows and reveal myself only when necessary."

"And yet you bear more scars than he." I was careful to keep my tone soft, not wanting to insult the creature.

He seemed to understand my simple curiosity and his shoulders drew back proudly as he spoke, "Because, young monk, I have never perished to regenerate these wounds. They are badges of each time I escaped a death others would have fallen prey to."

I nodded, "That is quite impressive. How old are you? If you do not mind me asking-" I added hastily, "I simply tend to not be able to judge an elder from a youngling, by fault of my own lack of perception."

Bounty chuckled, shaking it's head. This caused its ears to flip and flick alternately, making it's large earring catch the shadow lights in an aesthetically pleasing way, despite the strangeness of the cat-like features. "I am not as old as some of your companions, most certainly not this one." He nodded to Carl, who was chatting in front of us with Nyx. From what I could gather, they were discussing the local fauna. "But I am far older than you. You are quite young, I must say, to be able to regenerate. I believed, perhaps, that I was wrong in assessing your age, but now that I see you I know I was correct. You may be young, but you have seen…  _things_  worse than some see in a millenia. I know not what you saw, nor will I pry, but I must tell you this: you control your anger well, you have a sense of pride but that which only laces your humility, and while you are quick to judge (as the young are) you tend to allow for your world to be upturned. What I mean in this last thing is that you are very accepting of the strangeness surrounding you now, simply because you follow a moral compass separate from the paths others would have you follow. I can respect that."

I felt floored to hear such praise from someone I once considered an enemy, and who I'd only recently met this morning. I had the distinct impression he had been watching me far longer than I had even been aware of him, which struck a sort of fear in me that I hadn't felt since I was a small boy - the fear children have of the dark, the one which imagines things that shouldn't be there - yet now I had reason to believe that there were eyes watching me in the shadows I felt the impulse to draw closer to Carl, to feel his magic surrounding me protectively in the manner he'd recently assumed. "Thank you, Bounty Hunter."

The cat frowned at me, "Don't be so polite," a clawed hand darted out and smacked my back playfully, "We are brothers now. Cheer up, do not cower. I know you have a core of iron will, so straighten up, face the day." His eyes flicked to Carl and he leaned over to whisper, "You don't want that arch-mage to feel you are less than his equal, do you?"

Hearing Carl referred to in a context where he was not my friend felt strange to my ears, but it suddenly jolted me as well. Arch-mage. Magic. Had I not just seconds ago felt the need to be embraced by that foul energy? I shuddered and clutched Star close, remembering the last time I trusted the magical entities, and shook my head from the nausea that bore down on me. No. I could spend time with Carl, perhaps consider him an ally at most, but I could never trust him. He may be gentle and kind now, but magic was his very soul, and the substance was too volatile to stay true to one personality for a long period of time. Eventually the power would corrupt him, likely it probably had. I  _had_ to remember this.

It hurt, somewhere behind my rib-cage, to think ill of the smiling man before me, who occupied his current time bouncing Seamus joyfully and chatting eagerly with a creature who apparently hadn't been understood for a long while.

Had it only been four days? Five? It felt like a lifetime, but perhaps that was my ideals being turned on their head again. Was that to be my life? To solidify something for one moment only to have it overturned and scattered away?

Nyx said something to Carl that made him raise a hand and adjust his collar, and I realized now that I knew somehow the action was his nervous habit - I'd seen him do it before fights, before travel, or before retreating into his facade of aged wisdom. I had thought at the time he was checking his clothes in a pompous manner, but I could see now in the twitch of his eyes, in the flare of the white glow there, that something had caught him off guard. It felt like Earthshaker had taken the ground from beneath my feet to realize he did the action as a way to comfort himself, adding a sort of normalcy to his life. My heart stuttered when his gaze (and how on earth could I tell where those pupil-less eyes were looking?) flicked to me.

I gripped Star a little tighter and drew myself up, when all I wanted to do was curl up and look away from him. Gondor chuckled beside me, "I think I will enjoy working with you two."

"W-why do you say that?" I felt shaky still, my pounding heart throwing my sense balance off.

He shrugged, "I just have a feeling about it."

"What sort of feeling?"

"..." The creature grinned and shook it's head, "One that indicates the future will be very entertaining."

I was about to pout playfully when I noticed that Carl was nervously flicking his eyes between Nyx and me. Were they...discussing me? The arachnid seemed to stutter in what it was saying when we reached a clearing, instead breaking into a joyful "Nyx Nyx!" And waving it's scythes about wildly to indicate the area.

Carl turned, Seamus tucked to his chest, and grinned, "Welcome to our new home, Magina." Damn my heart for leaping into my throat at those words. Shrugging, Carl smiled, "It's a fixer-upper," I noted all the large insect-like bugs crawling around, "But for the little ones I'm sure we can manage." He moved forward, resuming conversation with Nyx, while Gondor stretched beside me.

"Alright." He began, undoing his mask and stuffing the bandana into his belt. "I figure it will take the four of us about an hour to set up and then we can take you to dinner to meet the rest of the forces here."

I couldn't help but smile, "I would very much like that."
